How do jazz artists try to make the music more accessible? Here are a couple of attempts. What do you emphasize? What do you give up? Is this compromise, simply audio entertainment, or is it still an artistic vision?
Alto saxist Candy Dulfer lives up to her name in more ways than one. Eye candy, with a bunch of cheerleader poses, she leads a band that produces music that is going to make you check your sugar levels for diabetes if you listen to it for a prolonged period of time. Lots of synth riffs, dance beats and catchy musical melodies that have everything for a dance floor except a reflective ball. Dulfer’s tone is actually impressive, but it just doesn’t seem to want to be taken seriously in this setting.
Guitarist Terrence Brewer tries a different approach on the Citizen Rhythm disc with Michael Coleman/key, Gabe Davis/elec-b and Rob Rhodes/dr. The band has an electric and contemporary sound, with a heavy backbeat, but Brewer uses it in the language of jazz standards, as he takes tunes like Wayne Shorter’s “Speak No Evil,” “ESP” or “Wildflower, or McCoy Tyner’s “Passion Dance” and sands of the sharper edges to smooth it out for today’s ears. The heavy backbeat on this material, or even Charles Mingus’ “Nostalgia In Times Square” makes the tricky melodies much more accessible, and before you know it, you’re getting down to a groove on Chick Corea’s “Crystal Silence.” No mean feat. Not a bad idea at all, and it works quite well. If this is “going commercial” more power to it!
Listen 2 Entertainment Group
Strong Brew Music